1454, Giovanni di Paolo, Scenes from the Life of Saint John the Baptist (the birth of John the Baptist) -- National Gallery (London)
From the museum label: The four lower panels are from a predella (the tier below the main altarpiece). The first shows John the Baptist's birth. His father, Zacharias, who has lost the power of speech, writes down the child's name. The second panel depicts the young saint leaving the city and setting off into the desert to preach and baptise. In the third, Saint John baptises Christ: God the Father appears in the sky and the Holy Ghost descends in the form of a dove. The fourth panel shows the head of the saint being presented to King Herod on a golden platter. Salome, in a pink dress, had demanded the saint's head as her reward for dancing for the king.
1454, Giovanni di Paolo, Scenes from the Life of Saint John the Baptist (the birth of John the Baptist) -- National Gallery (London)
From the museum label: The four lower panels are from a predella (the tier below the main altarpiece). The first shows John the Baptist's birth. His father, Zacharias, who has lost the power of speech, writes down the child's name. The second panel depicts the young saint leaving the city and setting off into the desert to preach and baptise. In the third, Saint John baptises Christ: God the Father appears in the sky and the Holy Ghost descends in the form of a dove. The fourth panel shows the head of the saint being presented to King Herod on a golden platter. Salome, in a pink dress, had demanded the saint's head as her reward for dancing for the king.